I Became the Academy’s Kibitz Villain - Chapter 256: Manufactured Heroes (8)

To some, it might seem like odd behavior, but in the world of abilities, it was known as ‘style’.

Especially if you followed a verified style exactly and respected and mimicked it as closely as possible, you could touch people’s emotions.

The fact that I personally achieved it made me very satisfied.

More than satisfaction, due to the intense fatigue, I could no longer continue the battle.

I was really burned out.

I had to destroy several missiles at once, using a bit too much magic power to ensure not a single one fell on the city, and now I was practically incapacitated for battle.

To put it metaphorically, it’s like usually keeping my smartphone battery at least 20% charged, but now it’s dropped below 5%.

‘Did I overdo it?’

I was hovering in midair just in case more missiles came, but even if they did, it would be hard to muster the strength to counter them.

‘If I have to fight more here, I might have to squeeze out everything to the last drop.’

At that time, our combination might break, and I might lose all my magic power and revert.

Fighting was fine.

But there were parts that must not be revealed.

‘It must not be revealed that I am Goblin and Gunggi.’

Someone might see me and think, ‘Those are actually from the Society!’ but it’s more important that they think, ‘Isn’t that another leader from Sephiroth!’ rather than thinking I was from the Society.

Not being discovered was crucial.

To avoid being discovered, I needed to move beyond this space, but in my current state, Gunggi was in no condition to move.

‘I used too much magic power.’

Space teleportation was not something that could be done easily.

In the past few days, Gunggi had been using space teleportation continuously, and although magic power was replenished intermittently, more mana was used than supplied.

Fortunately, no more missiles came.

Instead, something else approached us.

“Abduct!”

[That’s fortunate.]

With a cheerful voice, the green-haired woman behind me, Doul, pushed my back amidst the explosion.

Swoosh—

As we threw ourselves into the green dimensional portal created by Doul, we landed directly in a hotel room near Phuket.

[Unity release.]

As soon as I reverted, I laid Gunggi down on the bed.

“Hah, hah, hah….”

“Sleep. Rest well.”

“…Okay.”

Having used the technique called Hesed Force and handled all the calculations I should have done, Gunggi was utterly exhausted. I laid her down in a comfortable position to help her recover some magic power.

“Does your presence here mean I don’t need to step up anymore?”

“Yes. You don’t need to step up in that form anymore.”

Doul grabbed my face.

Just when I wondered what she was doing, she frowned and pinched my cheek.

“Didn’t I tell you not to use mana until your limit?”

“No, you didn’t.”

“You’re lying. Didn’t you use mana until just before you reverted?”

“…….”

As expected of Doul.

True to her sharp senses, she immediately grasped the state of both me and Gunggi.

“The president didn’t tell you to rest for no reason. Tsk. You must have been so hyped after hearing from the president that you went berserk. The one who always leaves 30% mana now has used up all his mana.”

“…….”

I got hit by Doul’s truth bomb.

Honestly, I had nothing to say, as even when my magic power was restored, it was almost like a phantom power.

If anyone could fill all their magic power with sheer willpower, everyone would be mentally equipped for battle.

I brainwashed myself into thinking ‘My magic power is fully restored’ and fought.

Thanks to the president’s words, I got a quick recharge, but because it was a quick charge, I used up more mana than usual.

It didn’t put a strain on my body, but I used mana until just before reaching my limit.

As a result, I now needed at least a few days of recovery to fight as before.

“Wow. Look at this. What are you going to do? Gunggi’s mana pocket has decreased by more than half.”

“I regret it.”

Gunggi’s mana pocket was a serious matter.

“It really irritates me that the mana pocket and your stamina are still the same size even when you’re reflecting.”

“Magic power and vitality are different things.”

My MP ran out, but my stamina didn’t.

“The rebel leader?”

“The subordinates are taking care of everything. The heroes on the streets are subduing the villains now.”

Doul turned on the TV and pointed to the live broadcast channel.

-Oh my! Those children…! These are the children rescued from the island! Kids trained at the Korean Marine Academy are now wearing octagonal hats and rescuing citizens!

The reporter’s voice was filled with joy.

-Citizens! Can you see this! Heroes are now defeating the villains! Our heroes! Our hope!

Hope was evident, and exclamations arose that the crisis was coming to an end.

“Doesn’t it feel cheesy when they make comments like that?”

“I don’t think someone who was fighting in full style until just now should be saying that.”

“My hands and feet don’t cringe, so it’s okay.”

In fact, if there were recorded footage, I would play it repeatedly for mental satisfaction.

The best play. Do….

“Um.”

“What now?”

“I’m thinking about what to call it.”

“Oh, that? Just call it the Charisma of Flames… Oh, just kidding, kidding. But where did you come up with that?”

“From my mind.”

I pulled it out from my memory, something that didn’t exist in this world.

“Doul. What’s next?”

“Nothing special. As you can see, the rebel leader Chairai….”

Crunch!

The TV made a cheerful sound.

The footage showed Nguyen delivering a knee kick to Chairai’s head, who was wearing a pressed helmet, and Chairai fell to the ground with a gun in hand.

“They didn’t let him get killed or commit suicide, and they succeeded in capturing him like that. Now, one by one, the villains are all being captured. After blocking the missile bombardment, the villains have lost their will to fight. And….”

Doul lightly tapped her temple.

“Chairai lied that bombs were planted in their heads. Once the 70% who fell for the lie realized they weren’t on a timer, they surrendered. Their sentences will increase, and some may even receive the death penalty, but that was their choice.”

“…Choosing death before dying on a timer, or taking as many comrades to the underworld as possible.”

“Yeah. But now that’s not even possible? Then it’s over.”

Everything was now over.

I lay down next to Gunggi, and Doul gently sat beside us, tapping her Taeguk Watch.

“Yes, it’s me. We’re in the hotel now, so you guys handle the rest. Clean up all the villains. The chairman will step in soon, so make sure there are no more victims.”

Click.

The Taeguk Watch disconnected.

I immediately got up and grabbed Doul’s wrist, and she shrugged as if she had expected it.

“The chairman stepping in doesn’t mean she’ll use his abilities.”

“…That’s a relief.”

“Yeah. It’s a relief. If the chairman steps in, someone would rush out immediately.”

Doul pressed my shoulder with her hand again, and I lay back down on the bed.

“What did the chairman say about stepping in?”

“She intends to use the Sephiroth Knights that Director Do has set up.”

“……Wait a minute.”

A hypothesis came to mind.

“Is he planning to credit all of the Society’s actions to the Sephiroth Knights?”

“Yes. She let the riots happen with that intention from the start.”

“…….”

It made me realize once again.

The Society would use any means necessary.

“Creating a situation and acting as heroes. We take the sweetest fruits for ourselves, achieving the Society’s desired outcome. Additionally, in the direction Director Do desires the most… And now, it’s starting to be publicized.”

Doul pointed to the TV.

[…According to the latest information, while many villains are being captured one by one, there are many injured but no fatalities counted….]

[What do you mean by no fatalities? Does that mean there are many fatalities?]

[No, rather… there are none!]

Official death count: zero.

Thanks to Doul’s team working in the shadows, there were injuries but no deaths.

A man whose arm had been severed was being carried to the emergency room with his arm wrapped in bandages, as if someone had reattached it with abilities.

And.

The TV screen flickered and switched scenes.

People would probably say this when they see that scene:

“Society…?”

“Not the Society.”

The Society often made declarations with wide-area hacking like that, so they might think it’s the Society, but the one doing that was the Society’s chief, though the official statement was not from the Society.

[Humankind.]

A gray screen.

A mysterious figure resembling a human stood still on the crackling screen.

[You are currently facing an unprecedented crisis.]

The figure, suddenly appearing, began to speak.

[I am ‘Joan of Arc.’ One who has come back from the future. A returnee.]

A mysterious figure claiming to be from the future.

[Humankind. Find Pandemonium. Find those who create demons. They are behind all incidents. Even this incident.]

Joan of Arc bluntly pointed to the culprits.

[Humankind. If you do not stop Pandemonium, humanity will perish.]

Flash.

[So I have brought with me from the future, ten apostles who share my will. They are the Sephiroth Knights. The Sefira.]

Ten symbols shone behind Joan of Arc.

[I am the guardian of Sephiroth. Chosen by the son of the god who created this world, I returned to the past to protect this world.]

And behind Joan of Arc, a figure resembling the Holy Spirit spread its arms.

[Humankind.]

All.

[God says, it is time for us to join forces.]

It was a show.

“…Doul. Is that Joan of Arc person our chief in disguise?”

“No? We hired an actor from Hollywood.”

“……No one will suspect anything.”